OREANDA-NEWS. Royal visit to the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand joined the Thai ambassador in Berlin, Her Excellency Nongnuth Phetcharatana, and her delegation on a visit to the Spandau plant this morning to find out about the BMW Group dual training system. They were received by Per Ankersen, Head of Human Resources at BMW Plant Berlin, and Konstanze Carreras, who is responsible for central management of vocational training in the BMW Group.

Konstanze Carreras presented the BMW Group initial training program along with central elements of the program structure as well as technical and personality-based qualification. Per Ankersen then gave Princess Sirindhorn a guided tour of the plant where she was able to observe trainees at close quarters and watch them working in the motorcycle assembly unit. Princess Sirindhorn already visited the BMW Group cooperation partner OSZ-Thiem vocational college in July 2014 to find out about the academic section of the training program.

The guests were especially impressed by the good examination results achieved by Plant Berlin trainees. "The examination results are well above the regional average", explained Per Ankersen.

There are a total of 80 new entrants currently training at BMW Plant Berlin, 14 per cent of whom are female. Applicants have a choice of five different trainee professions: mechatronics technician, automobile mechatronics technician specialising in motorcycle technology, electronics technician for operating technology, industrial mechanic and process mechanic for coating technology.

The combination of basic qualification and subsequent specialisation provides trainees with the ideal preparation for their profession and the demands they will face in the future. According to the Trendence "Sch?lerbarometer" survey, this and other training concepts made the BMW Group the most attractive employer of all automobile manufacturers in Germany in 2014.

The BMW Group

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2014, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.118 million cars and 123,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2013 was € 7.91 billion on revenues amounting to approximately € 76.06 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the BMW Group had a workforce of 110,351 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.